but I've reattached several of my old dreads to my latest dready incarnation, and have thus created some really nifty extensions. I sewed several shorter dreads together, put hair wraps over the junctions, and then sewed the extensions onto the ends of my dreads. I love them, particularly having mostly short dreads along with several really long ones. And the fact that I can now ties back my hair with my own hair, no more acursed hair elastics.
Does anyone else have any experience with this sort of thing? Any problems associated with this, or great success stories? Or just funny stories altogether?

So this is somewhat related...I love tangents...I was cruising ebay looking for dread stuff and came across a kid that was selling his brothers old, cut off dreads! I believe they were a buck. That was one of the suggestions, sewing them into existing dreads as extensions. Another suggestion was an art project. So yeah...that was icky seeing as they were from a stranger and no telling what was in them! I don't think your idea is icky as they were yours from the get go but someone else's? Ugh!

I with Kate on this one....... We all have "dead" hairs in are dread that would have fallen off our head if they werent all tangled up. So I really dont see any difference. But someone elses hair..... ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I think that it is just good to resycle old dreads from your friends and so on..
You can always wash those that are given to you. ; ) usually bugs do not feel nice in the hair.. they prefer the sculp area.
And if you are afraid of the mold just wash them and smell them.

I had once my friends old dreads attached in to my own ones using the crotchet-method.. or how you write it.. :)

I'm with you on that one Saul. I've heard stories of lover's swapping dreads or just attaching one partner's old dreads to the other.... sounds like a nice way to keep conected, even if it IS through dead hair. :-)

Personally, I liked the idea of an art project. Someone once suggested using old dreads to create a natural hair band that could hold a visor onto the head underneath your dreads. I always liked the idea of taking a toque, and attaching the dreads to the outside, so they look like they're poking through the holes. You put on the toque, and, TADA, you're like an entirely different person. Maybe a nice gift for a chemo patient friend (provided they're not turned off by your hair)

Yup...I have dread extenders. Karen (the dreadlock genious) took human hair and "felted" it into my own backcombed hair. I went from 3-5 inches to waist length in 8 hours and they are fully locked already. They are awesome and the best part is that its impossible to tell it isn't all my own hair. It would take someone 5+ years to grow locks like these. Really an amazing process.

At any rate, this was the best solution for me. I was able to get away with this at work (barely), but had I tried just locking up my own short hair, they probably would have fired me on the spot. This allows my own hair to grow out, locking up in the process until eventually, it will all be my own hair.

Hi jez. Wanted to ask you - how were the dreads "felted" into your hair? was there sewing involved, backcombing, palmrolling, or anything else? Im interested in extending my own dreads, so anything you can share would be helpful. also is this karen you mentioned a member here, and does she have a webpage? thanks :)

Its really hard to explain how she did it...even though I watched her for 8 hours. She started out at the back , made a section, tied string at the root to give me clearly a clearly defined section for each lock, and then backcombed. She then took small bits of loose human hair and with a tiny crochet hook, "felted" it in, backcombed the new hair just a little on occasion, and then she continued extending the length until it was waist length. That's the basic version, although there were other things she was doing (twisting as she was working, somehow making some of the hair lock around to hold the felted part. I honestly can not tell you *how* she does it...only that she is amazing!!!! She does a lot of training at some of the "well known" salons, but none of them use her methods. The way she does it, even natural dreads don't lose length, and they lock up pretty much right away. I did a ton of research, and even though she is about 3 1/2 hours away from me, it was very well worth the drive.

Anyway, I don't know if Karen is a member here or not. Her website is KnotJustDreads (www.knotjustdreads.com). She is in Toronto, but I know she does travel sometimes. I really just can't say enough about her services.

I have an "adopted" dread. One of my non-dreaded friends wanted a dread so we crochet on into her hair, cut it off and attached it to mine, all in about 10 minutes. Now I have about thee inched of her blond dread at the end of on of mine. I love it. People are always asking me about it and I get to tell them all about how it is her adopted dread.

I wore the extensions for a few years then gradually cut them off as they were black and the color couldn't really be altered. My main issue with them was that the store-bought hair was too coarse and in the end I decided I didn't want the weight and the bother of such long dreads, so now I wear them short, and the extenders are gone.

I got referred here to this thread by someone over in the "Dreadlocks" tribe. This sounds EXACTLY like what I want to do!
So here's the story:

My name's ~Jessa~.

I'm just regrowing my hair out after losing it during chemotherapy. So far I've only got 1 inch on my head, but I thought I'd start collecting information now. I've always wanted to do my hair in dreads but for some reason or another I never got there. Now, after the cancer, I'm on disability and in hospice care. Doctors don't expect me to live but I confuse them. Ha! I'm already living past all their words of doom and gloom!

Before I started chemo, my friends and I separated my hair into 15 long braids and we cut it off to save it. (If you let the chemo take the hair, it will destroy it.)

Also, I have a LOT of my hair that I would collect everytime I would finger out those lovely curls I used to have.

And also, in a show of solidarity, when my hair was cut for chemotherapy, many of my friends from all over the world cut off bits of their hair and sent it to me to collect.

So! I have a LOT of natural human hair, mostly mine, it's just not on my head. (It's in a nice box. :) ) What I want to do is this: When I had my long curls, again, see my photo album:
people.tribe.net/jessajos/...c748d01673my hair had a tendency to naturally form dreads. What I would like to do now is to start with the hair on my head, and start working it into dreadlocks, and then take all that hair in the box and slowly work it into my dreads so that I can have crazy long beautiful dreads without waiting the 10 years it took to grow my hair before I got cancer.

So, who's got ideas!? I know there are people who will tell me it can't be done, but I don't want to hear from them! I am a walking miracle! I have done many things in my life that people told me could not be done. I am supposed to be terminal and yet I am up and walking around. So, I'm looking for a few crazy optimistic people with ideas on how to make and repair dreadlocks, and then, well to get started doing it! I know I'll need to grow my hair a little longer first but what about preparing some dreads to be ready from my old hair fluff?

What I'd really like to do is get a bunch of dreadies from my old hair made up and ready while I'm waiting for my new hair to grow out.

What you say, people? Anybody wanna help me get looking fabulous again?
I'm ready to listen and learn!

Hi Jessa! I think that's a fantastic idea! Backcombing is a common way to start dreads... you may want to start experimenting on some sections of the long hair with a metal flea comb. I guess you would have to put a rubberband around it and secure it somehow while you backcomb. I know that doing it to hair that's attached to your scalp involves a lot of pulling. Lucky you won't have to deal with that pain!

So I'm gonna need a flea comb. Do I need some other product, some kind of goop or wax to help it lock up?
For securing it while I backcomb, I've got a heavy clamp I can use to just clamp it to my worktable. That should do it I think.

Also, how much hair should I use for each dread? I've heard varying suggestions but nothing about why I should use a particular amount. I also hear that they'll puff up a bit later. Is that true?

And thanks in advance everybody for the help. Already I am very much encouraged by what I've heard so far, and that always helps!

You can use wax if you want but it's not needed. A few posts up Vibrata posted a link that I think would help you out a lot.
The amount you put into each dread is up to you depending on the size you want the finished product. Mine are thinner because my hair is very thin and I didn't want just a few dreads. It will fatten up a bit as it matures but it's not a whole lot bigger than what you start with. This is of course just in general as everyones hair reacts differently.

Hey, THANKS for all the great support! I haven't even been able to get started yet cuz I've had a bunch of rough days in a row. But my intention is still to do this, and I'm hoping I can stay healthy enough long enough to make it happen.

"Kate the Great" posted something about a link in a post from Vibrata that would help me out, but I've been unable to find it. Can somebody help me track that down please? She also said,
> "You and your story are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing :)"
I suppose that's true if you're looking at me from the outside. Thank you for your appreciation. But I want to say, SO many amazing people have helped me to get through this. My caregivers are running 24/7 to make sure I have what I need to stay alive and it's all an unsung feat. Nobody hears about them much. And everyone and anyone who has stood up to the status quo and said, "NO, I'm not gonna do it the usual boring or bogus way" deserves to be recognized. And believe me, anyone who so much as steps out of their house proudly wearing their dreads on their heads, deserves to be applauded for bucking the status quo. I won't say I'm not amazing (cuz, hell I know I am and it's taken a lot of work to get here) but it's SO important to recognize EVERYONE who dares to do something so many are scared to do.

Stephanie wrote:
> Your hair is perfect for dreading!!! I would back comb
> and get them as tight as you can before attaching them
> and leave enough hair at the top of the dreads that you
> can weave them in you hair. Including the hair of everyone
> who loved you enough to send it is a special touch too.
> You will always have the people who love you most with
> you even if it is just on your head. Keep us posted on your
> dreads and when they are done please post some pics.

Thank you for the tips, Stephanie. That should be helpful
along with the other things I've heard. I'm really amazed
that so many people have stepped forward so quickly
to offer the help I need. That's SO great and tells me a lot
about the sweetness that lives inside of people that so rarely
has a chance to get let out and be seen.

There is just not enough Love in the world the way it is. The more of us who step forward in gratitude for the ones who dare to show the NEW ways of living life, ways of living in peace and harmony with each other, well the more love there is visible in the world, which gives the rest of us more courage to show our love and step up to our uniqueness. We ALL have special gifts. Who will dare to unwrap them and show the rest of us? I for one. Gratitude is easy when so many have been so caring of me. Thank you all for your bits of help in my journey.

Jessa-That was beautiful :) Thanks for sharing your love and encouraging others to share theirs as well....indeed, it's what makes the world go round! I know it's really physics that makes it go round but I guess love makes the ride more pleasant :)

Your hair is perfect for dreading!!! I would back comb and get them as tight as you can before attaching them and leave enough hair at the top of the dreads that you can weave them in you hair. Including the hair of everyone who loved you enough to send it is a special touch too. You will always have the people who love you most with you even if it is just on your head. Keep us posted on your dreads and when they are done please post some pics.